Edward's Story
Edward Peirce is a triple Olympian in water polo, having competed at the Melbourne 1956, Rome 1960 and Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games.
Although not concerning the Australian Team, the men's water polo tournament at the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games is the most famous in history, having seen the "Blood in the Water" semi-final match between Hungary and the Soviet Union. The Hungarian revolution started as athletes left for the Games, and they were crushed by the Soviet army. The match erupted into violence when a member of the Soviet Union team said the word "facist" across the water. A punch-up occurred in which Hungary's Ervin Zador suffered a badly gashed eye. Hungary led 4-0 before the games was called off in the final minute because of the violence.